JP6881359B2 - Printing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that ejects droplets from a nozzle and prints them on a medium to be ejected.

As an example of the printing apparatus, there is one in which the carriage on which the head is mounted is scanned (1 pass) once to print on a predetermined area of the ejected medium. In addition, some printing devices have a sensor mounted on a carriage. The sensor detects whether or not the ejected medium is on the platen facing the head.

Conventionally, after the carriage moves to a position where the sensor and the platen face each other, the sensor detects the ejected medium, and after detecting that the ejected medium is on the platen, the carriage is outside the platen in the scanning direction. I was once evacuated to. The print path (scanning) was then initiated by the carriage moving towards the platen in the scanning direction. Therefore, it takes time to start the print path due to the movement of the carriage for detecting the ejected medium by the sensor and the movement of the carriage for retracting the platen to the outside in the scanning direction.

In the printing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to shorten the time until the start of the printing path, the sensor is attached at a position protruding to the left side of the head. In this case, when the head is located at a predetermined position on the right side of the ejected medium, the sensor reaches directly above the ejected medium before the nozzle of the head when the carriage moves to the left. Therefore, after the sensor detects the ejected medium, printing can be started by moving the carriage to the left as it is.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-60007

However, in the printing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the head is located on the left side of the ejected medium, the nozzle of the head is directly above the ejected medium before the sensor when the carriage moves to the right. To reach. In this case, it is necessary to temporarily move the carriage so that the head is positioned at the predetermined position before the start of the print pass, and it takes time to start the print pass.

Contrary to the above, even when the sensor is mounted on the right side of the head, the same problem as described above occurs. In this case, if the head is located on the right side of the ejected medium, the nozzle of the head reaches directly above the ejected medium before the sensor when the carriage moves to the left. In this case, it takes time to start the print pass as described above.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to print even when the nozzle of the head reaches directly above the ejected medium before the sensor when the carriage moves. An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus capable of shortening the time to the start of a pass.

The printing apparatus according to the present invention is equipped with a support portion that supports the medium to be ejected, a head having a nozzle surface on which a plurality of nozzles are formed, and the head so that the nozzle surface faces the support portion. A carriage that moves in the first direction along the nozzle surface and in the second direction opposite to the first direction, and the support portion and the support of the carriage on the first direction side of the head. Information on the distance between the sensor that is mounted at a position facing the ejected medium supported by the unit and outputs an electric signal, and the plurality of nozzles and the sensor in the first direction along the first direction. It includes a memory in which the nozzles are stored and a controller. Based on the received print data, the controller executes a print path for ejecting droplets from the plurality of nozzles toward the ejection medium supported by the support portion while moving the carriage. Further, the controller has the carriage of the nozzles used in the predetermined print pass based on the print data and the information regarding the distance before the predetermined print pass which is the print pass for one pass to be executed. Acquires the first distance value in the first direction between the most downstream nozzle and the sensor, which are located most downstream when the vehicle moves in one of the first direction and the second direction, and based on the print data. Of the one end of the ejected medium through which the most downstream nozzle first passes in the predetermined printing pass of both ends of the ejected medium in the first direction, and the landing position where the droplets are landed by the most downstream nozzle. and closest proximity landing position between the one end in the first direction, the acquired second distance value of the first direction, when the second distance value is greater than the first distance value, the predetermined print path When it is determined that the ejected medium is supported by the support portion based on the output result of the sensor when the carriage moves in one of the first direction and the second direction to start. , The predetermined print pass is continued without stopping the movement of the carriage.

According to this configuration, it is detected whether or not the ejected medium is supported by the support portion during the movement of the carriage for one pass of the print pass. Therefore, the time until the start of the print pass can be shortened.

If the second distance value is equal to or less than the first distance value and the detection of the ejected medium while the carriage is moving for one pass of the print pass is executed, the ejected medium is supported by the support portion. Droplets may be ejected from the nozzle before it is detected. If the ejected medium is not supported by the support portion, the droplets will adhere to the support portion. According to this configuration, the detection of the ejected medium during movement of the carriage for one pass of the print pass is executed on condition that the second distance value is larger than the first distance value. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the droplets from adhering to the support portion as described above.

According to the present invention, even when the nozzle of the head reaches directly above the ejected medium before the sensor when the carriage moves, the time until the start of the print pass can be shortened.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multifunction device 10 which is an example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the recording unit 24. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configurations of the controller 130 and the memory 140. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the print control process. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the printing process contents of step S50 of FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the recording unit 24 and the platen 42.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. It goes without saying that the embodiments described below are merely examples of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention. Further, in the following description, the vertical direction 7 is defined with reference to the state in which the multifunction device 10 is usably installed (the state shown in FIG. It is defined, and the left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction device 10 is viewed from the front. The vertical direction 7, the front-rear direction 8, and the left-right direction 9 are orthogonal to each other.

[Overall structure of multifunction device 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 10 (an example of a printing device) has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A printer unit 11 is provided at the bottom of the multifunction device 10. The multifunction device 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function. As a printing function, the multifunction device 10 has a function of printing (image recording) on one side of the paper 12 (see FIG. 2, an example of a medium to be ejected) by an inkjet method. The multifunction device 10 may print on both sides of the paper 12. An operation unit 17 is arranged above the printer unit 11. The operation unit 17 is composed of a button 171 that is operated for printing instructions and various settings, a liquid crystal display 172 that displays various information, and the like.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 11 includes a feed tray 20, a mounting sensor 80, a feed section 16, an outer guide member 18, an inner guide member 19, a platen 42, a recording section 24, and a transport roller pair 59. , A discharge roller pair 44, a rotary encoder (not shown), a controller 130 (see FIG. 4), and a memory 140 (see FIG. 4).

[Shipping tray 20]
As shown in FIG. 1, an opening 13 is formed in front of the printer unit 11. By moving the feed tray 20 in the front-rear direction 8, the feed tray 20 can be inserted and removed from the printer unit 11 through the opening 13. The feeding tray 20 is a box-shaped member whose upper side is open, and accommodates the paper 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper 12 is supported on the bottom plate 22 of the feeding tray 20 in a stacked state. A discharge tray 21 is arranged above the front portion of the feed tray 20. Paper 12 printed and ejected by the recording unit 24 is supported on the upper surface of the ejection tray 21.

[Mounting sensor 80]
The mounting sensor 80 shown in FIG. 2 determines whether or not the feeding tray 20 is inserted all the way into the printer section 11, that is, whether or not the feeding tray 20 is mounted on the printer section 11. is there.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting sensor 80 is provided behind the feed tray 20. The mounting sensor 80 receives the shaft 81 supported by the frame (not shown) of the printer unit 11, the detector 82 rotatable about the shaft 81, the light emitting element, and the light emitted from the light emitting element. It includes an optical sensor 83 having a light receiving element.

When the feeding tray 20 is not inserted all the way into the printer unit 11, the detector 82 is urged forward by an urging member (for example, a coil spring) (not shown) and is at the position shown by the broken line in FIG. At this time, since the optical path from the light emitting element to the light receiving element of the optical sensor 83 is not blocked, a high level (a level larger than a preset threshold value) electric signal is transmitted from the optical sensor 83 to the controller 130 (see FIG. 4). It is output.

In the process of inserting the feeding tray 20 into the back of the printer unit 11, the detector 82 is pushed by the feeding tray 20 and rotates backward against the urging force of the urging member. The detector 82 is in the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 in a state where the feeding tray 20 is inserted all the way into the printer unit 11. At this time, since the optical path from the light emitting element to the light receiving element of the optical sensor 83 is blocked, a low level (a level smaller than a preset threshold value) electric signal is transmitted from the optical sensor 83 to the controller 130 (see FIG. 4). It is output.

Contrary to the above, the optical sensor 83 outputs a low-level electric signal in a state where the feeding tray 20 is not inserted all the way into the printer unit 11, and the feeding tray 20 goes all the way to the back of the printer unit 11. A high level electrical signal may be output in the inserted state. Further, the optical sensor 83 does not have to output an electric signal instead of outputting a low-level electric signal. Further, the configuration of the mounting sensor 80 is not limited to the configuration described above, and various known configurations can be adopted.

[Feeding unit 16]
As shown in FIG. 2, the feeding unit 16 is arranged below the recording unit 24 and above the bottom plate 22 of the feeding tray 20. The feeding unit 16 includes a feeding roller 25, a feeding arm 26, a drive transmission mechanism 27, and a shaft 28. The feeding roller 25 is rotatably supported by the tip of the feeding arm 26. The feeding arm 26 rotates in the direction of the arrow 29 about the shaft 28 provided at the base end portion. As a result, the feeding roller 25 can come into contact with and separate from the feeding tray 20 or the paper 12 supported by the feeding tray 20.

The feed roller 25 rotates by transmitting the driving force of the feed motor 102 (see FIG. 4) by a drive transmission mechanism 27 in which a plurality of gears are meshed with each other. As a result, of the paper 12 supported by the bottom plate 22 of the feeding tray 20, the highest paper 12 in contact with the feeding roller 25 is fed to the transport path 65. The drive transmission mechanism 27 is not limited to the form in which a plurality of gears are meshed with each other, and may be, for example, a belt bridged between the shaft 28 and the shaft of the feeding roller 25.

[Transport path 65]
As shown in FIG. 2, the transport path 65 extends from the rear end of the feed tray 20. The transport path 65 includes a curved portion 33 and a straight portion 34. The curved portion 33 extends so as to make a U-turn from the rear to the front while facing upward. The straight portion 34 extends substantially along the front-rear direction 8.

The curved portion 33 is formed by an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 facing each other with a predetermined interval. The outer guide member 18 and the inner guide member 19 extend in the left-right direction 9 which is a direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. The straight line portion 34 is formed by the recording portions 24 and the platen 42 facing each other at predetermined positions at the positions where the recording portions 24 are arranged.

The paper 12 supported by the feeding tray 20 is conveyed by the feeding roller 25 through the curved portion 33 and reaches the conveying roller pair 59, which will be described later. The paper 12 sandwiched between the transfer rollers 59 is conveyed forward with the straight line portion 34 directed toward the recording portion 24. The paper 12 that has reached directly under the recording unit 24 is printed by the recording unit 24. The printed paper 12 is conveyed forward through the straight line portion 34 and discharged to the discharge tray 21. From the above, the paper 12 is conveyed along the conveying direction 15 indicated by the arrow of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG.

[Platen 42]
As shown in FIG. 2, the platen 42 (an example of the support portion) is arranged in the straight portion 34 of the transport path 65. In this embodiment, the platen 42 is a black plate-like member. The platen 42 faces the recording unit 24 in the vertical direction 7. The platen 42 supports the paper 12 transported through the transport path 65 from below.

[Recording unit 24]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 24 is arranged above the straight line unit 34. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 40, a head 38, and a sensor 120 (see FIG. 3).

The carriage 40 is movably supported along the left-right direction 9 orthogonal to the transport direction 15 by two guide rails 56, 57 arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction 8. That is, the carriage 40 can move to the left (an example of the first orientation) and to the right (an example of the second orientation). The carriage 40 moves in the left-right direction 9 so that the lower surface 67 of the carriage 40 and the lower surface 68 of the head 38 face the platen 42 in the vertical direction 7. The moving direction of the carriage 40 is not limited to the left-right direction 9, and may be any direction that intersects the transport direction 15.

The guide rail 56 is arranged upstream of the head 38 in the transport direction 15. The guide rail 57 is arranged downstream of the head 38 in the transport direction 15. The guide rails 56 and 57 are supported by a pair of side frames (not shown) arranged outside the straight portion 34 of the transport path 65 in the left-right direction 9. The carriage 40 moves by applying a driving force from the carriage driving motor 103 (see FIG. 4).

An encoder strip (not shown) extending in the left-right direction 9 is arranged on the guide rail 56 or the guide rail 57. On the encoder strip, a pattern is described in which a translucent portion that transmits light and a light-shielding portion that blocks light are alternately arranged at equal pitches in the left-right direction 9. An optical sensor 35 (see FIG. 4) is provided at a position of the carriage 40 facing the encoder strip. The electric signal detected by the optical sensor 35 is output to the controller 130 (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 2, the head 38 is mounted on the carriage 40. The head 38 includes a plurality of sub tanks (not shown), a plurality of nozzles 39, an ink flow path (not shown), and a piezoelectric element 45 (see FIG. 4).

Ink is supplied to the plurality of sub tanks from an ink cartridge (not shown), an ink tank (not shown), or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of nozzles 39 are opened on the lower surface 68 (an example of the nozzle surface) of the head 38. That is, a plurality of openings (nozzles 39) are formed on the lower surface 68. The lower surface 68 is a surface that extends in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9. That is, the lower surface 68 is parallel to the moving direction of the carriage 40. The lower surface 68 is exposed downward through an opening formed in the lower surface 67 of the carriage 40. The ink flow path connects the plurality of sub tanks and the plurality of nozzles 39. The piezoelectric element 45 shown in FIG. 4 deforms a part of the ink flow path to eject ink droplets from the nozzle 39. The piezoelectric element 45 operates by being fed by a controller 130 (see FIG. 4).

Four sub tanks are provided. Each sub-tank stores one of the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks. The plurality of nozzles 39 include nozzle groups 69C, 69M, 69Y, 69B. The nozzle group 69C is connected to the cyan sub-tank, the nozzle group 69M is connected to the magenta sub-tank, the nozzle group 69Y is connected to the yellow sub-tank, and the nozzle group 69B is connected to the black sub-tank. Each nozzle group 69C, 69M, 69Y, 69B is composed of at least one nozzle row. The nozzle row consists of a plurality of nozzles arranged side by side along the transport direction 15. When there are a plurality of nozzle rows, the nozzle rows are arranged side by side along the left-right direction 9. In FIG. 3, each nozzle group 69C, 69M, 69Y, 69B is composed of three nozzle rows.

Cyan ink droplets are ejected from each nozzle constituting the nozzle group 69C. Magenta ink droplets are ejected from each nozzle constituting the nozzle group 69M. Yellow ink droplets are ejected from each nozzle constituting the nozzle group 69Y. Black ink droplets are ejected from each nozzle constituting the nozzle group 69B. That is, the plurality of nozzles 39 eject four types of ink droplets.

The number of sub tanks is not limited to four. That is, the ink stored in the sub tank is not limited to four colors, the nozzle group included in the plurality of nozzles 39 is not limited to four, and the ink droplets ejected by the plurality of nozzles 39 are not limited to four colors.

The sensor 120 is for detecting the paper 12 conveyed in the conveying path 65. The sensor 120 is mounted on the carriage 40. The sensor 120 is exposed downward through an opening formed in the lower surface 67 of the carriage 40 so that it can face the platen 42 and the paper 12 supported by the platen 42. The sensor 120 is mounted on the left side of the plurality of nozzles 39.

The sensor 120 includes a light emitting unit (not shown) made of a light emitting diode or the like and a light receiving unit (not shown) made of an optical sensor or the like. By being controlled by the controller 130, the light emitting unit irradiates light downward while the sensor 120 faces the platen 42 in the vertical direction. The irradiated light is reflected by the platen 42 located below the recording unit 24 or the paper 12 supported by the platen 42. The reflected light is received by the light receiving unit. The sensor 120 outputs an electric signal corresponding to the amount of received light received by the light receiving unit to the controller 130. For example, the sensor 120 outputs a higher level electric signal to the controller 130 as the amount of received light is larger.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the platen 42 is a black member. On the other hand, the paper 12 is a color brighter than black such as white. Therefore, when the light emitted from the light emitting unit hits the platen 42 and is reflected, the amount of the reflected light received by the light receiving unit is reduced. At this time, the sensor 120 outputs a low level (a level smaller than a preset threshold value) electric signal to the controller 130. On the other hand, when the light emitted from the light emitting unit hits the paper 12 and is reflected, the amount of the reflected light received by the light receiving unit increases. At this time, the sensor 120 outputs a high level (a level larger than a preset threshold value) electric signal to the controller 130.

Contrary to the above, the sensor 120 may output an electric signal having a lower level to the controller 130 as the amount of received light is larger. Further, the sensor 120 does not have to output the electric signal to the controller 130 instead of outputting the low-level electric signal to the controller 130. Further, the sensor 120 is not limited to the above-mentioned optical type as long as it can detect the paper 12 conveyed in the transport path 65, and various known sensors such as a CCD image sensor and a mechanical type can be used. It can be adopted.

The recording unit 24 is controlled by a controller 130 (see FIG. 4). When the carriage 40 is moving in the left-right direction 9, the head 38 ejects ink droplets from the nozzle 39 toward the platen 42, and more specifically toward the paper 12 supported by the platen 42. As a result, the straight portion 34 is conveyed in the conveying direction 15 and printed on the paper 12 supported by the platen 42.

[Convey roller pair 59 and discharge roller pair 44]
As shown in FIG. 2, a transport roller pair 59 (an example of a transport portion) is arranged upstream of the head 38 and the platen 42 in the straight portion 34 in the transport direction 15. A discharge roller pair 44 is arranged downstream of the head 38 and the platen 42 in the straight line portion 34 in the transport direction 15.

The transfer roller pair 59 includes a transfer roller 60 and a pinch roller 61 arranged below the transfer roller 60 so as to face the transfer roller 60. The pinch roller 61 is pressed against the transport roller 60 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a coil spring. The transfer roller pair 59 can hold the paper 12.

The discharge roller pair 44 includes a discharge roller 62 and a spur roller 63 arranged above the discharge roller 62 so as to face the discharge roller 62. The spur roller 63 is pressed toward the discharge roller 62 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a coil spring. The discharge roller pair 44 can hold the paper 12.

The transfer roller 60 and the discharge roller 62 rotate by applying a driving force from the transfer motor 101 (see FIG. 4). When the paper 12 is rotated while the paper 12 is sandwiched between the transport rollers 59, the paper 12 is transported in the transport direction 15 by the transport roller pairs 59 and is transported on the platen 42. When the discharge roller 62 rotates while the paper 12 is sandwiched between the discharge roller pairs 44, the paper 12 is conveyed to the transport direction 15 by the discharge roller pair 44 and discharged onto the discharge tray 21. A common motor may be used as the transport motor 101 and the feed motor 102. In this case, the drive transmission path from the common motor to each roller is switchable.

It should be noted that the material that conveys the paper 12 is not limited to the roller pair as described above. For example, a transport belt may be arranged instead of the transport roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 44.

[Rotary encoder]
The transport motor 101 is provided with a rotary encoder (not shown) that detects the amount of rotation of the transport motor 101. The rotary encoder includes an encoder disk (not shown) provided on the shaft of the transport motor 101 and rotating together with the transport motor 101, and an optical sensor 75 (see FIG. 4). The encoder disk is formed with a pattern in which transparent portions through which light is transmitted and non-transmissive portions through which light is not transmitted are alternately arranged at equal pitches in the circumferential direction. When the encoder disk rotates, a pulse signal is generated each time the optical sensor 75 detects a transmissive portion and a non-transmissive portion. The generated pulse signal is output to the controller 130 (see FIG. 4). The controller 130 calculates the amount of rotation of the transport motor 101 based on the pulse signal. The rotary encoder may be provided on, for example, a feeding motor 102 or a transport roller 60 other than the transport motor 101.

[Controller 130 and memory 140]
Hereinafter, the configurations of the controller 130 and the memory 140 will be described with reference to FIG. The present invention is realized when the controller 130 performs a process according to a flowchart described later. The controller 130 controls the overall operation of the multifunction device 10. The controller 130 includes a CPU 131 and an ASIC 135. The memory 140 includes a ROM 132, a RAM 133, and an EEPROM 134. The CPU 131, ASIC 135, ROM 132, RAM 133, and EEPROM 134 are connected by an internal bus 137.

The ROM 132 stores a program or the like for the CPU 131 to control various operations. The RAM 133 is used as a storage area for temporarily recording data, signals, etc. used by the CPU 131 when executing the program, or as a work area for data processing. The EEPROM 134 stores settings, flags, and the like that should be retained even after the power is turned off.

The memory 140 (ROM 132 in this embodiment) stores information regarding the distance between the plurality of nozzles 39 and the sensor 120 in the left-right direction 9. The information regarding the distance is each distance value (LB1, LB2, LB3, LC1, LC2, LC3, LM1, LM2, LM3, LY1, LY2, LY3) shown in FIG. The distance values LB1, LB2, and LB3 are distance values of 9 in the left-right direction between each nozzle row of the nozzle group 69B and the sensor 120. The distance values LC1, LC2, and LC3 are the distance values in the left-right direction between each nozzle row of the nozzle group 69C and the sensor 120. The distance values LM1, LM2, and LM3 are the distance values in the left-right direction between each nozzle row of the nozzle group 69M and the sensor 120. The distance values LY1, LY2, and LY3 are the distance values in the left-right direction between each nozzle row of the nozzle group 69Y and the sensor 120.

In the present embodiment, the distances in the left-right direction between all the nozzle rows and the sensor 120 are stored in the ROM 132, but the distances in the left-right direction between some nozzle rows and the sensor 120 are stored. It may be stored in ROM 132. For example, the information regarding the distance is the distance (LB1, LB3, LC1, LC3, LM1, LM3, LY1, LY3) in the left-right direction between the right-end and left-end nozzle rows of each nozzle row and the sensor 120. You may. In other words, the distance 9 in the left-right direction (LB2, LC2, LM2, LY2) between the nozzle rows other than the right and left ends of each nozzle row and the sensor 120 may be excluded from the distance information.

Further, in the present embodiment, the information itself regarding the distance between the plurality of nozzles 39 and the sensor 120 in the left-right direction 9 is stored in the memory 140. However, the information itself regarding the distance does not need to be stored in the memory 140. For example, the information on the positions of the plurality of nozzles 39 in the left-right direction 9 and the information on the positions of the sensors 120 in the left-right direction 9 may be stored in the memory 140. In this case, the controller 130 reads the information on the position from the memory 140 and calculates the information on the distance.

A transport motor 101, a feed motor 102, and a carriage drive motor 103 are connected to the ASIC 135. The ASIC 135 incorporates a drive circuit that controls each motor. The CPU 131 outputs a drive signal for rotating each motor to a drive circuit corresponding to each motor. The drive circuit outputs a drive current corresponding to the drive signal acquired from the CPU 131 to the corresponding motor. This causes the corresponding motor to rotate. That is, the controller 130 controls the feeding motor 102 to feed the paper 12 to the feeding unit 16. Further, the controller 130 controls the transfer motor 101 to transfer the paper 12 to the transfer roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 44. Further, the controller 130 controls the carriage driving motor 103 to move the carriage 40.

Further, the optical sensor 83 of the mounting sensor 80 is connected to the ASIC 135. The controller 130 determines whether or not the feeding tray 20 is mounted on the printer unit 11 based on the electric signal received from the optical sensor 83.

Further, a sensor 120 is connected to the ASIC 135. The controller 130 outputs an electric signal to the light emitting unit of the sensor 120 through the ASIC 135. The light emitting unit that receives the electric signal irradiates the light downward. The light receiving portion of the sensor 120 receives the reflected light of the light emitted from the light emitting portion on the platen 42 or the paper 12. The sensor 120 outputs an electric signal at a level corresponding to the amount of received reflected light received by the light receiving unit to the controller 130. The controller 130 recognizes the amount of reflected light received based on the output result of the sensor 120 (in the present embodiment, based on whether the electric signal acquired from the sensor 120 is at a high level or a low level). In the present embodiment, when the controller 130 acquires a high-level electric signal from the sensor 120, determines that the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42, and acquires a low-level electric signal from the sensor 120. , It is determined that the paper 12 is not supported by the platen 42.

Further, an optical sensor 75 of a rotary encoder is connected to the ASIC 135. The controller 130 calculates the amount of rotation of the transport motor 101 based on the electric signal received from the optical sensor 75.

Further, the optical sensor 35 of the encoder strip is connected to the ASIC 135. The controller 130 recognizes the position of the carriage 40 based on the electric signal received from the optical sensor 35.

Further, a piezoelectric element 45 is connected to the ASIC 135. The piezoelectric element 45 operates by being fed by the controller 130 via a drive circuit (not shown). The controller 130 controls the power supply to the piezoelectric element 45, and selectively ejects ink droplets from the nozzle groups 69C, 69M, 69Y, and 69B described above.

When printing on the paper 12, the controller 130 controls the transfer motor 101 to execute an intermittent transfer process in which the transfer roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 44 alternately repeat the transfer and stop of the predetermined transfer amount of the paper 12. Let me. The amount of paper 12 conveyed is recognized, for example, by counting the amount of rotation of the transfer roller 60 with the rotary encoder described above.

The controller 130 executes the printing process while the paper 12 is stopped in the intermittent transfer process. The printing process is a process of controlling the power supply to the piezoelectric element 45 while moving the carriage 40 along the left-right direction 9 to eject ink droplets from the nozzle 39. That is, in the printing process, the controller 130 ejects ink droplets from the nozzle 39 while moving the carriage 40 to the right or left (hereinafter, the printing pass is also referred to as a pass, and one printing pass is used. (Also referred to as printing for one pass) is executed. As a result, printing for one pass is executed on the paper 12.

By alternately and repeatedly executing the intermittent transfer process and printing for one pass, it is possible to print on the entire printable area of the paper 12. That is, the controller 130 prints on one sheet of paper 12 in a plurality of passes.

The controller 130 is not limited to the above, and only the CPU 131 may perform various processes, only the ASIC 135 may perform various processes, and the CPU 131 and the ASIC 135 cooperate with each other. It may perform various processes. Further, the controller 130 may be one in which one CPU 131 performs processing independently, or one in which a plurality of CPU 131s share the processing. Further, the controller 130 may be one in which one ASIC 135 performs processing independently, or a controller 130 may be one in which a plurality of ASIC 135s share the processing.

[Print control by controller 130]
In the printer unit 11 configured as described above, the controller 130 feeds the paper 12 and executes a series of print control for printing on the fed paper 12. Hereinafter, the print control process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When print data, which is image data to be printed on the paper 12, is sent to the controller 130 from the operation unit 17 (see FIG. 1) of the multifunction device 10 (see FIG. 1) or an external device connected to the multifunction device 10, the said Upon receiving the print data, the controller 130 drives the feeding motor 102 to cause the feeding roller 25 to feed the paper 12 supported by the feeding tray 20 to the transport path 65 (S20). Further, the controller 130 drives the transport motor 101 to transport the paper 12 to the transport roller pair 59 in the transport direction 15 until the paper 12 reaches the printing start position facing the recording unit 24 (S20). .. The printing start position is a position where the downstream end of the printing area of the paper 12 in the transport direction 15 faces the nozzle 39 arranged at the most downstream of the transport direction 15 among the plurality of nozzles 39.

Next, the controller 130 determines whether or not the carriage 40 is in the start position based on the electric signal received from the optical sensor 35 of the encoder strip (S30). The process of step S30 may be executed in parallel with the process of step S20.

The start position is the movement start position of the carriage 40 in the first pass (first print pass) for the paper 12 among the plurality of passes for printing on the paper 12. For example, if the carriage 40 moves to the right in the first pass, the start position is to the left of the left edge of the image printed on paper 12 with the rightmost nozzle 39 used in the first pass and at the left edge. It is a position that is in the vicinity (hereinafter, also referred to as a left start position). On the other hand, when the carriage 40 moves to the left in the first pass, the start position is to the right of the right edge of the image printed on the paper 12 by the leftmost nozzle 39 used in the first pass and at the right edge. It is a position that is in the vicinity (hereinafter, also referred to as a right start position). The area of the image printed on the paper 12 in the first pass is determined based on the print data.

The start position is the first, when the carriage 40 moves to the right in the first pass, the rightmost nozzle 39 used in the first pass is to the left of the left edge of the image printed on the paper 12. When the carriage 40 moves to the left in the pass, the leftmost nozzle 39 used in the first pass may be to the right of the right edge of the image printed on the paper 12. For example, the start position may be that the carriage 40 is located to the left of the paper 12 when the carriage 40 moves to the right in the first pass, or when the carriage 40 moves to the left in the first pass. In addition, the carriage 40 may be located to the right of the paper 12.

In this embodiment, the carriage 40 moves to the right from the left start position in the first pass. That is, in the present embodiment, the start position is the left start position. Also, the carriage 40 moves to the left in the path following the first path. Hereinafter, the carriage 40 moves alternately left and right for each pass. The moving direction of the carriage 40 in each path is not limited to the above-mentioned direction. For example, the carriage 40 may move to the left from the right start position on the first pass. That is, the start position may be the right start position.

When the carriage 40 is in the left start position (S30: Yes), printing on the paper 12 is executed (S50). On the other hand, when the carriage 40 is not in the left start position (S30: No), the controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to move the carriage 40 to the left start position (S40), and then transfers the carriage 40 to the paper 12. Printing is executed (S50). The content of the printing process in step S50 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

When printing on the paper 12 is completed (S50), the controller 130 drives the transport motor 101 to transport the paper 12 in the transport direction 15 by the discharge roller pair 44 and discharge it to the discharge tray 21 (S60). ..

Next, the controller 130 determines whether or not all of the print data received in step S10 has been printed on the paper 12, that is, whether or not the most recently printed paper 12 is the final page (S70).

If the most recently printed paper 12 is not the last page (S70: No), the controller 130 drives the feed motor 102 to the feed roller 25 and the next page supported by the feed tray 20. The paper 12 is fed to the transport path 65 (S20), and printing or the like on the paper 12 is executed (S30 to S60). It should be noted that the feeding of the paper 12 on the next page by the feeding roller 25 (S20), the ejection of the paper 12 on the current page (S60), and the determination of whether or not the current page is the final page (S70). And may be executed in parallel.

On the other hand, when the most recently printed paper 12 is the final page (S70: Yes), a series of print control processes is completed.

[Printing by controller 130]
Hereinafter, the printing process of step S50 in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The controller 130 determines which of the first process and the second process is to be executed based on the conditions (S200 to S230) described in detail below. The first process is a process (S330 to S360, S300) in which the carriage 40 is moved to print one pass after determining whether or not the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42. The second process is a process (S240 to S300) of determining whether or not the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42 while executing the movement of the carriage 40 in printing for one pass.

The controller 130 first makes a determination in step S200. That is, the controller 130 determines whether or not the process of step S320, which will be described later, has been executed immediately before (in other words, whether or not the movement of the carriage 40 in printing to be executed on the paper 12 is the first pass). to decide. The printing in the first pass described above, that is, the printing for one pass that is executed first in the printing on the paper 12, is an example of the predetermined printing pass.

If the movement of the carriage 40 in printing to be executed on the paper 12 is not the first pass for the paper 12 (S200: No), the controller 130 executes the processes after step S360. That is, the controller 130 executes printing for one pass (S360, S300) without detecting whether or not the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42 (S340, S290). On the other hand, when the movement of the carriage 40 in the printing to be executed on the paper 12 is the first pass for the paper 12 (S200: No), the controller 130 determines in step S210.

The execution order of steps S210 to S230 is arbitrary, but in the present embodiment, the controller 130 first determines in step S210. That is, the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5) is received only after the feed tray 20 is mounted on the printer unit 11 (after the electric signal from the optical sensor 83 changes from high level to low level). In the case of printed data (S210: Yes), the controller 130 executes the first process. On the other hand, when the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5) is not the print data received for the first time after the feeding tray 20 is mounted on the printer unit 11 (S210: No), the controller 130 determines in step S220. I do.

In step S220, the controller 130 refers to the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5). The print data may include image quality priority commands. The image quality priority command is a mode in which the quality of the image printed on the paper 12 is prioritized over the speed of printing on the paper 12 (in other words, the time required for printing on the paper 12 is shortened). It is an instruction to the controller 130 to execute printing on.

When the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5) includes an image quality priority command (S220: Yes), the controller 130 executes the first process. On the other hand, when the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5) does not include the image quality priority command (S220: No), the controller 130 determines in step S230.

In step S230, the controller 130 determines whether or not the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5) has not yet been printed on the paper 12. When the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5) has not yet been printed on the paper 12, that is, when the print to be executed is to print on the first page of the print data (S230: Yes), the controller 130 executes the first process. On the other hand, when at least a part of the print data is printed on the paper 12, that is, when the print to be executed is not the print on the first page of the print data (S230: No), the controller 130 is the second. Execute the process.

From the above, the presence / absence of the paper 12 on the platen 42 is detected in the first pass for the paper 12 (S200: Yes), and the presence / absence of the paper 12 on the platen 42 is detected in the pass other than the first pass for the paper 12 (S200: No). Is not detected. Further, when printing on the first paper 12 after inserting the feed tray 20 (S210: Yes), printing in the image quality priority mode (S220: Yes), or the first of a plurality of sheets 12 In the case of printing on the paper 12 (S230: Yes), the presence or absence of the paper 12 on the platen 42 is detected in the first process. On the other hand, when any of the conditions of steps S210 to S230 is not satisfied (S210: No, S220: No, S230: No), the presence or absence of the paper 12 on the platen 42 is detected in the second process.

Hereinafter, the first process (S330 to S360) will be described.

The controller 130 drives the carriage driving motor 103 to move the carriage 40 to the opposite position (S330). The facing position is such that when the paper 12 fed in step S20 (see FIG. 5) is supported by the platen 42, the sensor 120 mounted on the carriage 40 moves to an arbitrary part of the paper 12 (for example, the paper 12). It is a position facing the central portion, the right end portion, and the left end portion in the left-right direction 9.

Next, the controller 130 determines whether or not the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42 (S340). The controller 130 outputs an electric signal to the light emitting unit of the sensor 120. When the electric signal acquired from the sensor 120 is at a low level, the controller 130 determines that the paper 12 is not supported by the platen 42 (S340: No), and executes the processes after step S380 described later.

On the other hand, the controller 130 determines that the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42 when the electric signal acquired from the sensor 120 is at a high level (S340: Yes). In this case, the controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to move the carriage 40 to the left start position (S350). After that, the controller 130 moves the carriage 40 to the right (S360) and ejects ink droplets from the nozzle 39 based on the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5) (S300). That is, the controller 130 executes a predetermined print pass, which is the first pass for the paper 12.

Hereinafter, the second process (S240 to S290) will be described.

The controller 130 determines the nozzle 39 to be used in the pass (predetermined printing pass) to be executed for the paper 12 from now on (S240).

In step S240, the controller 130 uses the nozzle 39 (hereinafter, used) used in the first pass (predetermined print pass) for the paper 12 based on the print condition information included in the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5). Also referred to as nozzle 39).

In the present embodiment, the print condition information is information on the color of the ink used for printing. For example, when the print condition information is information that the color of the ink used for printing is only black, the nozzle 39 used is the nozzle group 69B. Further, for example, when the printing condition information is information that the color of the ink used for printing is a color other than black, the nozzles 39 used are the nozzle groups 69C, 69M, and 69Y. Further, for example, when the printing condition information is information that the colors of the ink used for printing are all colors, the nozzles 39 used are the nozzle groups 69B, 69C, 69M, 69Y.

Next, the controller 130 acquires the first distance value L1 based on the used nozzle 39 determined in step S240 and the information regarding the distance stored in the memory 140 (S250). The first distance value L1 is a distance value of 9 in the left-right direction between the most downstream nozzle located in the moving direction of the carriage 40 and the sensor 120 among the nozzles 39 used in the predetermined printing path. As described above, in the present embodiment, the carriage 40 moves from the left start position to the right in the first pass with respect to the paper 12. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the movement direction of the carriage 40 is to the right.

For example, when the nozzle 39 to be used determined in step S240 is the nozzle group 69B, the first distance value L1 is the distance value LB3 in the left-right direction 9 between the nozzle 39 at the right end of the nozzle group 69B and the sensor 120 (see FIG. 3). ). Further, for example, when the nozzles 39 to be used determined in step S240 are the nozzle groups 69C, 69M, 69Y, the first distance value L1 is the left and right of the nozzle 39 at the right end of the nozzle groups 69C, 69M, 69Y and the sensor 120. The distance value LY3 in the direction 9.

Next, the controller 130 acquires the second distance value L2 based on the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5) (S260). The second distance value L2 is the left-right direction of the left and right ends of the paper 12, one end of the paper 12 through which the most downstream nozzle described above passes first in the predetermined printing path, and the landing position where the ink droplets are landed by the most downstream nozzle. It is a distance value of 9 in the left-right direction from the position of the near-bonded bullet closest to the one end in 9.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the carriage 40 at the left start position is on the left side of the paper 12 supported by the platen 42, and the landing position of the ink droplets by the most downstream nozzle in the predetermined printing path is on the paper 12. In the case of the region 91 indicated by hatching, since one end is the left end of the paper 12, the position of the one end in the left-right direction 9 is P1, and the position of the near-adhesive bullet is position P2. Therefore, the second distance value L2 is the value of the distance 9 in the left-right direction between the position P1 and the position P2.

Next, the controller 130 determines whether or not the second distance value L2 is larger than the first distance value L1 (S270). When the second distance value L2 is equal to or less than the first distance value L1 (S270: No), the most downstream nozzle faces the ink droplet landing position (region 91) while the sensor 120 faces the paper 12. .. Therefore, the presence or absence of the paper 12 on the platen 42 cannot be detected by the sensor 120 before the ink droplets are ejected to the landing position by the nozzle 39. Therefore, in this case, the controller 130 executes the first process described above (S330).

On the other hand, when the second distance value L2 is larger than the first distance value L1 (S270: Yes), the sensor 120 detects the presence or absence of the paper 12 on the platen 42 before the ink droplets are ejected to the landing position by the nozzle 39. Can be done. Therefore, in this case, the controller 130 moves the carriage 40 from the left start position to the right (S280).

During the rightward movement of the carriage 40 initiated in step S280, the controller 130 determines whether the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42 (S290). The controller 130 outputs an electric signal to the light emitting unit of the sensor 120 at a timing before the start of ejection of ink droplets from the nozzle 39 based on the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5). The controller 130 determines that the paper 12 is not supported by the platen 42 when the electric signal acquired from the sensor 120 is at a low level (S290: No), and stops the carriage 40 without ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle 39. (S370). That is, the controller 130 cancels printing.

On the other hand, the controller 130 determines that the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42 when the electric signal acquired from the sensor 120 is at a high level (S290: Yes). In this case, the controller 130 continues to move to the right without stopping the carriage 40 that started moving in step S280, and drops ink from the nozzle 39 based on the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5). Is discharged (S300). That is, the controller 130 executes the first pass (predetermined print pass) for the paper 12.

After ejecting the ink droplets in step S300, the controller 130 makes the latest path (movement of the carriage 40 in the latest steps S360 and S280) with respect to the paper 12 based on the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5). It is determined whether or not it is the final pass, in other words, whether or not printing on the paper 12 is completed in the immediately preceding step S300 (S310).

When the latest pass is not the final pass for the paper 12 (S310: No), the controller 130 drives the transport motor 101 to transport the paper 12 to the transport roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 44 by a predetermined transport amount. (S320). Next, the determination in step S200 described above (determination of whether or not the movement of the carriage 40 in printing to be executed on the paper 12 is the first pass) is executed, but it is not the first pass (S200: No). ), Step S360 is executed. That is, the controller 130 ejects ink droplets from the nozzle 39 based on the print data received in step S10 (see FIG. 5) while moving the carriage 40 in the direction opposite to the latest steps S360 and S280 (S360). (S300). After that, until the printing on the paper 12 is completed (S310: Yes), the intermittent transfer process (S320) and the printing for one pass (S360, S300) are alternately and repeatedly executed. When printing on the paper 12 is completed (S310: Yes), as described with reference to FIG. 5, the controller 130 drives the transport motor 101 to cause the discharge roller pair 44 to transport the paper 12 in the transport direction 15. And discharge to the discharge tray 21 (S60).

When the controller 130 determines that the paper 12 is not supported by the platen 42 in the state where the carriage 40 is in the opposite position (S330) (S340: No), the controller 130 does not execute the predetermined print path and the carriage 40 To the left start position (S380). Further, when the carriage 40 is moving from the left start position to the right (S280) and the controller 130 determines that the paper 12 is not supported by the platen 42 (S290: No), the controller 130 cancels printing. Then (S370), the carriage 40 is moved to the left start position (S380).

Next, the controller 130 determines whether or not the number of times (the number of retries) that the platen 42 determines that the paper 12 is not supported exceeds a predetermined value (S390). The number of retries is stored in the memory 140 (for example, RAM 133) by the controller 130 at the timing when it is determined that the paper 12 is not supported by the platen 42. Specifically, when the controller 130 determines for the first time that the paper 12 is not supported by the platen 42, the controller 130 stores "1" as the number of retries in the memory 140. After that, the controller 130 increments the number of retries stored in the memory 140 each time the platen 42 determines that the paper 12 is not supported for the first time. The predetermined value is stored in the memory 140 (for example, ROM 132). For example, when the predetermined value is "3" and the number of retries is 3 or less, the controller 130 determines that the number of retries does not exceed the predetermined value (S390: No). On the other hand, when the number of retries is 4 or more, the controller 130 determines that the number of retries exceeds a predetermined value (S390: Yes).

When it is determined that the number of retries does not exceed the predetermined value (S390: No), the controller 130 drives the feeding motor 102 again, and the paper 12 supported by the feeding roller 25 and the feeding tray 20. Is fed to the transport path 65 (S20).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the number of retries exceeds a predetermined value (S390: Yes), the controller 130 tells the liquid crystal display 172 (an example of the notification unit) that the paper 12 is not supported on the platen 42, or the multifunction device. By indicating that the paper 12 is jammed in 10, the fact is notified (S400). After that, a series of print control is terminated (see FIG. 5).

Note that the notification that the paper 12 is not supported by the platen 42 and that the paper 12 is jammed in the multifunction device 10 is not limited to the display of the liquid crystal display 172. For example, the multifunction device 10 may be provided with a speaker, and the platen 42 may be notified by a voice or a buzzer that the paper 12 is not supported by the platen 42. In this case, the speaker corresponds to the notification unit.

[Effect of Embodiment]
According to this embodiment, it is detected whether or not the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42 while the carriage 40 for printing one pass is moving (S280) (S290). Therefore, the time until the start of printing can be shortened.

If the second distance value L2 is equal to or less than the first distance value L1 (S270: No), the moving paper 12 of the carriage 40 for printing one pass is detected (S290). Ink droplets may be ejected from the nozzle 39 before it is detected whether or not the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42. If the paper 12 is not supported on the platen 42, ink droplets will adhere to the platen 42. According to the present embodiment, the detection of the moving paper 12 of the carriage 40 for printing one pass (S290) means that the second distance value L2 is larger than the first distance value L1 (S270: Yes). Executed as a condition. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink droplets from adhering to the platen 42 as described above.

Further, if the second distance value L2 is L1 equal to or less than the first distance value (S270: No), the detection of the moving paper 12 of the carriage 40 for printing one pass is executed (S290). ), Ink droplets may be ejected from the nozzle 39 before it is detected whether or not the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42. If the paper 12 is not supported on the platen 42, ink droplets will adhere to the platen 42. According to the present embodiment, when the second distance value L2 is equal to or less than the first distance value L1 (S270: No), is the paper 12 supported by the platen 42 before the start of the predetermined print pass (S360, S300)? Whether or not it is detected. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink droplets from adhering to the platen 42 as described above.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the sensor 120 is mounted on the left side of the head 38. Therefore, when the carriage 40 moves to the right in the predetermined print pass (S280, S300) as in the present embodiment, the nozzle 39 of the head 38 is to the right of the sensor 120 in front of the predetermined print pass. That is, when the carriage 40 moves to the right, the nozzle 39 of the head 38 reaches directly above the paper 12 before the sensor 120. That is, the present embodiment is a suitable application example of the present invention.

Further, if it is detected that the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42 (S290: Yes) before the printing for one pass (S300) that is first executed in the printing on the paper 12, the paper 12 It is not necessary to detect whether or not the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42 in the subsequent pass of printing to. According to the present embodiment, it is detected whether or not the platen 42 supports the paper 12 in the printing for one pass that is first executed in the printing on the paper 12, so that after printing on the paper 12. It is possible to omit the detection of the support of the paper 12 in the pass. As a result, the time required for printing on the paper 12 can be shortened.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when the paper 12 is not supported by the platen 42 (S340: No, S290: No), the printing is canceled (S370), so that the ink droplets ejected from the nozzle 39 are discharged. It is possible to prevent the platen 42 from adhering to the platen 42.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the liquid crystal display 172 can notify the user that the paper 12 is not supported on the platen 42 (S400).

Further, according to the present embodiment, the nozzles 39 that are not used depending on the printing conditions can be excluded from the nozzles 39 used in the predetermined print pass (S300) by the process of step S240. As a result, it is possible to prevent the first distance value L1 from becoming large due to the unused nozzles 39 being included in the nozzles 39 used in the predetermined print pass. Then, during the movement of the carriage 40 before ejecting the ink droplets in the predetermined print pass, there is a high possibility that the second distance value L2 becomes larger than the first distance value L1 (S270: Yes), so that the carriage 40 is moving. In (S280), it is highly possible that detection of whether or not the paper 12 is supported by the platen 42 is performed (S290). As a result, the time until the start of printing can be shortened.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the nozzle 39 that ejects ink droplets of a color that is not used in the predetermined print pass can be excluded from the nozzle 39 that is used in the predetermined print pass.

[Modification example]
In the above embodiment, the printing condition information is information on the color of the ink used for printing. However, the print condition information is not limited to the ink color information. For example, the print condition information may be information on the type of ink used for printing. Information on the type of ink includes pigments and dyes. For example, when two sub-tanks of the head 38 are provided, one sub-tank stores pigment black ink and the other sub-tank stores dye black ink, the controller 130 prints in step S240. Depending on whether the condition information is information that the ink used for printing is a pigment or information that the ink is a dye, the nozzle group 69 from which the black ink of the pigment is ejected is designated as the nozzle 39 to be used, or the black dye. It is determined whether the nozzle group 69 from which ink is ejected is used as the nozzle 39.

For example, five sub-tanks of the head 38 are provided, two of which sub-tanks store pigment black ink and dye black ink, respectively, and the other three sub-tanks store cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow. In the case of a configuration in which each ink is stored, the print condition information may be information on both the color and type of the ink used for printing.

According to the above modification, the nozzle 39 that ejects ink droplets of a type that is not used in the predetermined print pass can be excluded from the nozzle 39 that is used in the predetermined print pass.

In the above embodiment, the carriage 40 has moved to the right in the predetermined print pass, but the carriage 40 may move to the left.

In the above embodiment, the presence / absence of the paper 12 on the platen 42 is detected in the first pass to the paper 12 (S200: Yes), and the presence / absence of the paper 12 on the platen 42 is detected in other than the first pass to the paper 12 (S200: No). Was not detected. That is, the second process (S240 to S270) was performed in the first pass to the paper 12. However, the second process may be executed in a path other than the first pass for the paper 12 (for example, the second pass for the paper 12).

In the above embodiment, the controller 130 makes the determinations in steps S210 to S230, but whether or not these determinations are executed is arbitrary. That is, the first process and the second process may be executed in the first printing on the paper 12 after the feeding tray 20 is inserted, and the first process and the second process may be executed in the printing in the image quality priority mode. Alternatively, the first process and the second process may be executed in printing on the first sheet 12 of the plurality of sheets of paper 12.

In the above embodiment, the sensor 120 is an optical sensor including a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, but the sensor 120 is not limited to this. For example, the sensor may be an ultrasonic sensor.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the multifunction device 10 that ejects ink from a nozzle to print on paper 12 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it can of course be applied to a recording device that ejects a liquid other than ink, for example, a liquid resin or metal, onto a medium to be ejected such as a base material for wiring or plywood.

10 ... Multifunction device (printing device)
38 ... Head 39 ... Nozzle 40 ... Carriage 42 ... Platen (support)
68 ... Bottom surface (nozzle surface)
120 ... Sensor 130 ... Controller 140 ... Memory L1 ... First distance value L2 ... Second distance value

Claims (9)

A support part that supports the ejected medium and
A head having a nozzle surface on which a plurality of nozzles are formed, and
A carriage on which the head is mounted and moves in a first direction along the nozzle surface and in a second direction opposite to the first direction so that the nozzle surface faces the support portion.
A sensor mounted on the carriage on the first facing side of the head and facing the support portion and the discharge medium supported by the support portion and outputting an electric signal.
A memory in which information regarding the distance between the plurality of nozzles and the sensor in the first direction along the first direction is stored, and
With a controller,
The above controller
Based on the received print data, a print path is executed in which droplets are ejected from the plurality of nozzles toward the ejected medium supported by the support portion while moving the carriage.
Before the predetermined print pass, which is the print pass for one pass to be executed from now on,
Based on the print data and the information on the distance, the most downstream position when the carriage of the nozzles used in the predetermined print pass moves in one of the first direction and the second direction. Obtain the first distance value of the nozzle and the sensor in the first direction,
Based on the print data, the droplets are landed at one end of the ejected medium through which the most downstream nozzle first passes in the predetermined print path among both ends of the ejected medium in the first direction and the most downstream nozzle. Gets the closest proximity landing position between the one end in the first direction in the landing position which, in the second distance value of the first direction,
When the second distance value is larger than the first distance value, the output of the sensor is output when the carriage moves in one of the first direction and the second direction in order to start the predetermined print pass. A printing apparatus that continues the predetermined printing pass without stopping the movement of the carriage when it is determined that the ejected medium is supported by the support portion based on the result. The above controller
When the second distance value is equal to or less than the first distance value, the sensor moves the carriage to a position facing the discharged medium when the support portion supports the discharged medium. ,
According to claim 1, when it is determined that the ejected medium is supported by the support portion based on the output result of the sensor when the carriage is positioned at the opposite position, the predetermined print pass is started. The printing device described. The printing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller moves the carriage in the second direction in the predetermined printing path. It is provided with a transport unit that sandwiches the ejected medium and transports it in the transport direction that intersects the first direction and the second direction.
The head is located downstream of the transport unit in the direction of transport.
The controller repeatedly executes the transfer of the ejected medium by the transfer unit and the print pass for one pass.
The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the predetermined print pass is a print pass for one pass that is first executed in printing on a medium to be ejected. When the controller moves in one of the first direction and the second direction, if it is determined that the ejected medium is not supported by the support portion based on the output result of the sensor, printing is performed. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Equipped with a notification unit
When the controller moves in one of the first direction and the second direction, if it is determined that the ejected medium is not supported by the support portion based on the output result of the sensor, the notification is given. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is notified by a unit. The above print data includes print condition information.
The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the controller determines a nozzle to be used in the predetermined printing path based on the printing condition information. The plurality of nozzles eject ink droplets of a plurality of colors as the droplets.
Further, the plurality of nozzles include a plurality of nozzle groups which are a group of nozzles for ejecting droplets of the same color.
The above print condition information is information on the color of the ink used for the print path.
The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controller determines a nozzle group to be used in the predetermined printing pass among the nozzle groups of a plurality of colors based on the printing condition information. The plurality of nozzles eject a plurality of types of ink droplets as the droplets.
Further, the plurality of nozzles include a plurality of nozzle groups which are a group of nozzles for ejecting the same type of droplets.
The above print condition information is information on the type of ink used for printing.
The printing apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the controller determines a nozzle group to be used in the predetermined printing pass among a plurality of types of the nozzle groups based on the printing condition information.

Images